In the last ten months, roughly 150 cubic meters of roundwood worth €10,400 ($10,388) has been stolen from private forests in Estonia, according to a report by state broadcaster ERR this week, based on data from the State Forest Management Centre (RMK).

In addition, nearly 126 cubic meters of cut and stacked underbrush worth €3,850 ($3,845) has also been taken from state forests.

According to the RMK Chief Forest Officer for the Tartu Region Toomas Haas, the number of thefts has been increasing, despite increased surveillance by RMK employees, who make daily rounds watching over cutting and wood storage areas.

In the latest theft to be interrupted, a 43 year old man and a 35 year old woman were caught in a nature reserve in Tartu county cutting down trees and stealing the logs, according to local media reports.

Haas noted the increase in thefts is due to the surging costs of energy, heading into winter.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, EU nations moved to end Russian energy imports as a way to sanction the Kremlin. However one consequence was a massive energy crunch that has blossomed into a crisis. As energy prices skyrocketed, inflation surged across the block, leaving households even less able to afford the sky-high energy prices required to heat their homes this winter.

Estonia topped the Eurozone inflation charts, with consumer prices pushing up 20.1%. Latvia and Lithuania next door hit the second and third highest positions, at 18.5% and 16.4% respectively.

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